Immortal Utterances of Sadguru Sri Nannagaru

Transcription

1 Immortal Utterances of Sadguru Sri Nannagaru 1

2 Dear Soul mates! God has explained only about Bhakti, Karma, Dhyana and Jnana as different yoga s (practices). But if you ask me, even understanding is a great yoga (practice). Isn t it true that you attain faith (Shraddha) only through understanding? - Sadguru Sri Nannagaru 2

3 Sadguru Nanna Garu Words of Assurance 3

4 My Dear Friends! By just looking at me, if your mind doesn t divert towards Self (get introverted) or if you are not able to receive the peace, then the fault is mine and not yours. 4

5 [Type a quote from the document or the summary of an interesting point. You can position the text box anywhere in the document. Use the Text Box Tools tab to change the formatting of the pull quote text box.] If your intellect is unable to grasp my words then the fault is mine and not yours. 5

6 If there exists purity within my heart, my words will chase you even if you want to forget them. 6

7 My words will influence you only if I possess purity and peace within my heart. If you are unable to receive the peace by my remembrance, then it implies the lack of purity within me. 7

8 If you don t have love for me, it is my responsibility to generate that love. 8

9 If I cannot consider your sins as mine, I am not eligible to preach. Instead of addressing others as sinners, try to reform them. 9

10 My Dear Friends! Your intellect cannot grasp the spiritual help or progress that you receive from me. 10

11 As your body needs food, your mind needs my words. If you digest the food that you intake, your body will be healthy. If you understand my words, your mind will be healthy. 11

12 If you understand my words, it s not me who gains; it is you who will gain. My words will help you in knowing yourself. You will not get happiness in knowing me but you will definitely get happiness in knowing yourself. 12

13 If you are told that a snake bites, you will definitely recollect these words when you look at a snake. Similarly you may not understand the importance of my words today but you will understand them on some day (if not in this birth then in some other birth). 13

14 Do not think that you don t have Bhagavan s Grace; It is only by Bhagavan s Grace that you are able to listen to these words. Can we ever lighten the wet match sticks? We are like wet match sticks. Bhagavan is drying out our wet minds. Once they are dried completely, he will certainly lighten the lamp of Knowledge within us. 14

15 Sri Rama killed Ravana. Sri Krishna killed Kamsa. I am killing your time! My dear friends! Don t think that you are wasting your time in listening to my words. The moments that you spent in listening to my words are the sweetest moments in your life. 15

16 It is my ardent desire that you all grow like a tree and reach the heights of Jnana. It is my ardent desire that you all represent a light house on the banks of a sea and show the path (of righteousness) to the society. I whole-heartedly desire that you don t restrict Shiva to a temple but visualize Him in each and every Jiva. 16

17 Whatever may be the name and form you adore, I always wish your welfare wholeheartedly. It is only for this good quality that God bestowed me with Jnana. You too try to purify your hearts. Jesus said: Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God. They are consoled who cry for God. 17

18 Sadguru Nannagaru on Bhagavad Gita 18

19 In this world, we celebrate the birthdays of people but not that of books. This fame belongs to Gita alone. Even though this is a small book, it has a great reputation. Gita has been preached by God Himself nearly 5000 years ago. Lord Krishna Himself said in the Gita: The one who preached Gita, the one who listened to Gita and the one who wrote Gita is Narayana Himself. Many people have questions like how can anyone preach in the battle field? Is it really possible to do so? Impossibility may exist for us but is there anything impossible for God? If so how can he ever become God? 19

20 Attachment leads to bondage and bondage leads to fear. How can God possess any bondage or fear? If Krishna had any attachment for his nephew Abhimanyu, would He allow Abhimanyu to die? Only because He was unattached that He became God. Mahatma Gandhi said: Bhagavad Gita has filled up the void created by the loss of my mother. Sri Sant Jnaneswar said: The whole world can be converted to gold or all the salt water in the sea can be transformed into fresh water, but one can never understand the Bhagavad Gita in its entirety. 20

21 Tilak said : As Hanuman somersaulted from one end of the sea to the other end in order to reach Lanka, even I jumped over the chapters of the Gita, but was never able to understand its depth. Sri Madhvacharya said: It was initially Bharata only, but since it contained Bhagavad Gita it became Mahabharata. Sri Malayala Swami said: Gita comes into the hands of those whose fate is good. 21

22 Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said : A person who cannot become a tyagi (one who sacrifices) can never understand the Gita. Piling up all the valuable diamonds in the world at one place constitutes Bhagavad Gita. The good contained in Bhagavad Gita is equivalent to goodness constituted by compiling the hearts of all the good people in one single place. 22

23 Gita may contain that which doesn t exist in the world, but that which doesn t exist in Gita cannot be found in the world. If you read 18 chapters of the Gita, you might gain merit (punya) but if you understand and practice the same, you will get Jnana. When our lives are ruined in the flood of ego, how do we have any place for Gita within our hearts? Therefore in spite of reading Gita, we are unable to understand the same. Isn t it true that Gita shares its heart only when we surrender ourselves to it? 23

24 I take the courage in saying that Arjuna did not get Jnana just by listening to the Gita from Krishna. Arjuna implies a white man (with pure heart). Krishna said: O Arjuna! You are anasuya (one who is devoid of jealousy) hence I am preaching you the Gita. Jealousy is the foremost bad quality amongst all of us. Arjuna s shoka (grief) became his yoga (path), but why does our shoka (grief) lead us to roga (disease)? It is because Arjuna grieved for the sake of society and we grieve only for our selfishness. My Dear Friends! Arjuna s merit (fruit of virtuous deeds) is that God himself became his Guru. 24

25 Lord said in the beginning of Vibhuti Yoga that I reside in the Heart of all shining as the Self. All the further sayings in Vibhuti Yoga are only for the understanding of the body minded people like us. Lord said in Gita: Work but don t expect any result, but he never said, I will not give you the fruit of your deeds. God is consecrated in the Heart of those who work without any expectation. What else is achievable in this world than this? 25

26 The Lord said : O Arjuna! None can overcome my maya. I am revealed only to them whom I select. Why? This is because Maya is in the hands of God and we are in the clutches of Maya. Therefore Maya shows the path only to those who take refuge at the feet of God. My dear friends! When Krishna promised in the 9th chapter that Self-knowledge will reveal the Self here and now, Why don t you believe the same? Though God repeatedly says that Leaving all your duties Surrender unto me; I will cleanse you of all your sins and liberate you. Why don t you still trust his words? 26

27 We cannot get Jnana until we have a collaboration of God s Grace, Gurus Grace, Shastras (spiritual science) grace and an appropriate time. In Gita the Lord preached: Karma Yoga to those who always want to work, Bhakti Yoga to those who get emotional very easily, Jnana yoga to those who always try to find reason behind everything. The goal of all these yoga s (practices) is to Know Thyself as preached by Bhagavan Ramana. 27

28 Lord says Kama (desire), Krodha (anger) and Lobha (misery) are the three big gateways to enter the hell. In Gita, the Lord said: It is only the Jnani who attains my swarupa (nature ie Self). There is nothing in this world equivalent to Jnana. People doing good do not attain distressing state. All the people are puppets in my hands. In Gita, God has narrated all the qualities of a Stitha Prajna (one who maintains equanimity in all conditions) and all the divine qualities (Daivi Guna); further he said that there is nothing meaner than the timidity of Heart. 28

29 Krishna also said: This world is temporary and is the residence of all sorrow. He never said: this world is a temple. He further said: It is the body that takes birth and dies but not the Aatman (Self) and You are that Aatman, but are we considering ourselves as Aatman(Self) or the body? My Dear Friends! We can never understand the Gita as long as we perceive Krishna as mere body. God and Gita are not different. God said in Gita: People consider themselves to be body and also limit me to a body; By doing so they are insulting me. 29

30 As we clear dirt on our faces using a mirror we have to clean the impurities of our mind by relying upon Gita. Gita is the Upadesa grandha (Book of authority) and is very useful to purify the mind. If we abide by the teachings in Gita our weakness and sins perish away automatically. 30

31 God asked us to love Him, remember Him and believe Him but what will He get by saying this? My dear friends! He spoke thus only out of Love and Grace. He further promised that even a greatest sinner will be liberated by Him if he has unwavering faith in His Existence. My Dear Friends! It is only the work that is in your hands and not the result thereof. The result is in the hands of God. Therefore if you do your duty selflessly and faithfully, God will certainly give the appropriate result. 31

32 God is always thankful and not thankless. Friends! Do believe my words: the work done with doership binds you and work done without doer-ship releases you. If you love Krishna (shining as Self within your Heart) wholeheartedly, He will purify you and thereby grant liberation (reveal the Self within you). What we need to pay Him is Bhakti (devotion) and what he gives in return is Mukti (liberation). What else is achievable in this world than this? 32

33 Trusting God is equivalent to treasure; otherwise it is equivalent to dust. He who possesses God as his friend will attain Him. But you possess worldly people as your friends and not God. God prescribed certain activities as forbidden for they result in sorrow. Can t you abide by His words spoken in your welfare? God is embodiment of Love. The Love showered by your wife or husband or children or relatives is not even a one percentile of the Love showered by God. 33

34 Lastly I would like to say a word that even Gita constitutes a VEDA. The Gita consists of the words uttered by God Himself. Who among us has the capability to speak about God? We will not understand Him if he doesn t speak about Himself. Therefore out of Love for us, the Lord spoke about Himself, killing his self-respect. Why? It is because until and unless we don t understand His greatness, we cannot Love Him and respect him; further loveless hearts are like godless temples. 34

35 Vasudeva Swamy Himself proclaimed that Gita is His residence. The Lord exists in the form of Akshara(letters) within Gita. Akshara also implies that which is not perishable ie Self. It is a sin to distinguish between Gita and the Lord. Gita is not different from the Lord. 35

36 Sadguru Nanna Garu On Preceptor (Guru) 36

37 Guru, God and Self are one and the same and not different. The Self (which is your nature) takes a form, descends as Guru and gradually reduces the force of your past tendencies and thereby introverts your mind. The beauties of heart are revealed only to that mind which is introverted. If you love your Guru, it implies you are loving yourself unknowingly. God created this world and did not abandon it. He also explained the manner (process) of life that will lead to Jnana. Therefore God is our first Guru (Adi Guru). 37

38 Only a Self-realized soul is eligible for the word Guru. Only a Self-realized soul can view Atman (Self) everywhere. He, who takes you closer towards inner self, is the real Guru. Do not restrict Guru to a body. He is the only refuge who protects us from the vicious circle of birth and death. He is the real Mahatma; he is the real Guru, by mere looking at whom your mind is introverted. 38

39 The first task, the middle task and the last task of a Guru is to introvert your mind. Renouncing the Self, one who talks about non Self is not a Guru but a DEMON. Guru, out of Grace, can remove various past tendencies within a second, which you were unable to do since several births through your efforts. There is nothing equivalent to Guru s grace in this world. There might exist several Gurus in this world but if a Self-realized soul (jnani) becomes your Guru, he will lead you to your goal of Self-realization. 39

40 I and mine are two big stones that cannot be removed without Guru s help. I implies ahamkara (ego) and mine implies mamakara (that belongs to me). As long as this kara exists, man cannot become pure and cannot transcend the nature. All the help that you receive from Guru is internal (not external) - It is beyond your gauge/grasp. Guru s grace is much stronger than your self-efforts. 40

41 It is Guru alone who accompanies you throughout your births and protects you. You don t know the address of your Guru, but Guru knows your address wherever you are and whatever may be your birth. Guru never leaves you until your goal (Self-realization) is reached. 41

42 Though the external Guru is false, he is still required. If God gets angry with us, it is only Guru who can protect us but if Guru gets angry with us, even God cannot protect us. Only humble people can listen to the Guru. Isn t it true that only when we listen, we come to know about the means and the goal? My dear soul mates! We can clear the debt of the mother, the debt of the father and the debt of the teacher in our school. But we always owe to the Guru who facilitates our Self Realization. Any God greater than Guru doesn t exist, doesn t exist and doesn t exist! 42

43 Our Vedas proclaim thus: Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Maheshwara and Guru is Supreme Self itself. In the Gita, the Lord promised: I will liberate you even if you remember Me in your last moments. But on the death bed, all the inherent tendencies within us shoot out into the brain. In that moment, we can only remember that for which we craved throughout our life and not God. It is the last thought before death which decides the next birth. 43

44 However if we possess purity of Heart, if our surrender is true, the Guru can help us out in our last moments of the life. He can create a state of good tendencies and thereby lead us to higher/good births. What other help greater than this can exist in this world? It is difficult to worship God as Guru. Therefore God Himself descends unto earth (as Guru) taking a human form. It is only the overflowing Grace of God that took the form of Sri Ramana. 44

45 Sadguru Nanna Garu On God (Ishwara) 45

46 Your nature (Self) itself is true GOD. Grace is not different from GOD. GOD s nature itself is Grace. It is good to say that Love is God rather than saying God is Love. It is good to say that Truth is God rather than saying God is Truth. GOD is ever independent. He need not reveal Himself by your mere desire; rather GOD should desire to reveal Himself. GOD Himself makes all the efforts if your goal is GOD alone. Shiva is not revealed to them who are impure. 46

47 GOD is much nearer to you than your body, mind, intellect and senses. Your relationship with your body is temporary but is permanent with GOD. GOD is your true residence. GOD s Grace exists forever but it s experience is obstructed by your tendencies. GOD s Grace showers upon them who don t lose faith till their last breath. By the remembrance of God - Your Heart is widened, mind is purified, your intellect becomes subtle and your discrimination grows. A discriminating person only can differentiate between Self and Non Self. 47

48 God is never poor. In fact He is ever rich. He is not looking for your flowers. He is waiting for the day when you will gift your ego and surrender yourselves so that He can liberate you. GOD s Grace is not visible to your eyes. It comes very secretly, very quickly, very strongly and very seriously without the Knowledge of your mind, body, senses and intellect. If you can bear that Grace, all the ignorance accompanying you from thousands of births is turned to ashes. If GOD willing, you will be purified within a second, else it may take several births of your efforts to achieve the same. Impossible may exist for you but not for GOD. 48

49 Only God possesses the strength to throw out the big stone that exists in the form of ego within you. GOD is all independent. It is God alone who decides when He has to come, where He has to come and how He has to come. Digambara is one of the names of GOD. Digambara doesn t mean that He is naked but implies that He has transcended body consciousness surpassing all the limitations. Every Jnani is a Digambara. Wise people do not restrict GOD to a body or an idol. 49

50 You cannot remember GOD until and unless GOD remembers you. You don t even get the thought of knowing GOD. If you are getting a strong desire to know the Truth, it implies you have GOD s Grace. GOD looks at the intention of your Heart with which you work. He is not carried away by the magnitude of your work. GOD is revealed only to them who are pure at Heart. 50

51 Whether you intend it or not, whether you like it or not, whatever is happening is by God s will and not by your will. Only GOD knows when, where and why he unites two people or separates them. My Dear friends! You may design a lot of (lakhs) plans but whatever happens is GOD s will alone. If you stop thinking about yourselves, GOD starts thinking about you. GOD s Grace is more powerful than the body s destiny. 51

52 GOD reveals Himself only to them who offer the flower namely ego at His feet. GOD s Grace showers upon you if your faith in GOD s existence is as stable as a lamp in a windless place. If you remember GOD, He introverts your mind. When the Aatma Rama within you reveals Himself, you will not like to open your eyes and see the Dasaratha Rama even if He stands in front of you. 52

53 You will not have faith in GOD s existence until and unless you have the strength of merit (fruit of good deeds ie punya) and GOD s Grace. GOD never forgives them who don t try for liberation even after attaining human birth. He punishes them by giving another body. GOD reveals Himself when you spend for the sake of God at least the time being spent for your honor or money. 53

54 A person may deceive another person but not GOD. GOD knows the thought you are going to get even before you are aware of it. If we stop asking GOD for unnecessary things, He will certainly give us whatever we require. GOD s Love for you is much greater than a Mother s Love for her child. GOD is waiting to take ten steps towards you if you can take one step towards Him. LOVE GOD only for the sake of GOD but not for any worldly attainments. 54

55 Whatever needs to happen will certainly take place. GOD s Grace will certainly come when there is self effort. Self effort, ripeness of time and GOD s Grace all the three are equally important to reach your goal. We have three bodies- Gross body that is visible to us; Subtle body that is in the form of mind filled with likes and dislikes; Causal body in the form of ignorance that accompanies us throughout our births. It is GOD s Grace alone that can burn down the casual body to ashes. 55

56 How many friends or relatives do you have who desire your welfare whole heartedly? How can they desire your liberation who cannot even desire your progress? Is there anyone who loves you more than GOD? You might have cried and filled up innumerable pots with tears since your birth. But is there at least a drop of tear that came out for the sake of GOD? 56

57 When you are compromising in your day to day life for the sake of bodily comforts, can t you compromise for attaining GOD? When you can compromise with people can t you compromise with GOD? Don t you know whether you are worshipping Shiva or Shava (corpse)? God becomes their sole refuge, who have no other refuge. 57

58 Compassionate Hearts are the residence of Knowledge. Does your Heart know the meaning of compassion? Christ said, Compassionate Hearts are the residence of GOD. You may possess crores of rupees externally, but GOD will shower His Grace if you lead a simple life internally. The essence of Dharma is having Compassion for Jiva and having Love for GOD. This is the essence of all religions. Can t you see Shiva in the Jiva? 58

59 One who questions the existence of GOD is false but GOD is Truth. My Dear friends! When you cannot judge or gauge the people who are visible, how can you judge/gauge GOD who is invisible? GOD shines in the Hearts of people who don t believe in the existence of GOD - HE IS GOD! In a drama, it is the action that is important and not the role. GOD is never carried away by your wealth or pomp and show. GOD gifts His Grace to them who gracefully accept their body s destiny and lead a pure life. You possess everything if you have GOD s Grace. 59

60 Devotion is generated from the yearning for GOD and not out of wealth. You will attain Jnana if you are within the control of God resembling the dry twigs that are within the control of the wind (as dry twigs move in the same direction of the wind). It is the beast like tendencies within us that are obstructing our liberation. You can get the vision of Pashupathi only if you can get rid of these tendencies. Everyone pray GOD only for the sake of Happiness, but why do you need GOD, when you become that Happiness itself! 60

61 My dear Friends! Don t become proud by thinking that you are coming here and listening to my words with utter attention. You can t come here without GOD s will. You are able to remember GOD only because GOD is remembering you. Without GOD s Grace you can t have Bhakti or even look into this direction. Many of you request: Show us GOD. But how can that GOD be true if He is separate or different from you? Even if He is visible, how do you see Him? Isn t it with your eyes? When your body itself is false, how can your eyes which are a part of your body be true and how can that God visible to your eyes be true? 61

62 Even if GOD is visible, how long will he stay with you? Even if he stays with you, can you get rid of your ignorance? When your ignorance doesn t perish, what is the use of such visible GOD? If the GOD visible to you is true why are you not able to get rid of your sorrow? 62

63 What is the use even if you are treated by great doctors and your disease remains uncured? My Dear friends! Even the Gods are false. Even they are illusions of your mind. Illusion is inevitable as long as the mind exists. Only the Self is Truth and You are That. Except for you, everything else is false. Therefore know yourself. Even the Gods worshipped by you are dependent upon the Self within you. 63

64 Sadguru Nannagaru on Realized Soul (Jnani) 64

65 He who has Jnana (Self-Knowledge) is a Jnani (realized soul). He alone is a rishi (sage). There are two types of Jnanis (realized soul): 1) Who realize the Self but can t express their state to others. 2) Who not only experience the Self but also preach others about the blissful state; they are called as preachers, prophets and acharyas. One who finds the source of the mind is a Jnani (realized soul). One who finds the source of nature is a scientist. A scientist is wavered by the events in this world but not a Jnani (realized soul). It is because Jnani never looks at the world to be separate from him. 65

66 He who experiences the Truth is a Satpurusha (Jnani). In whose presence your mind, senses and heart calm down is a Satpurusha. He who knows (discovers) himself is a Jnani (realized soul). Jnani s eyes resemble the eyes of a dead sheep. As the sun is unaware of darkness, so also Jnani is unaware of sorrow. There is only one difference between a Jnani and Ajnani. Jnani is aware that he is the Self and has a body, but Ajnani thinks that he is the body and has a self. 66

67 Our likes and dislikes are the root cause of our sorrow and the one who transcends them is a Jnani. Jnani s body is a temple. God takes up the burden of protecting Jnani s body. We effortlessly get sweet fragrance in the vicinity of jasmine flowers. Similarly the presence of Jnani is always filled with peace and bliss. 67

68 On merely visiting a Jnani, we develop an attitude of attaining good thinking faculty and reforming ourselves. Three important sages preached the path of Jnana in this modern era. They are Buddha, Shankara and Ramana. A person treading the path of Jnana doesn t own any object in this world. But a person treading the path of karma owns every object in this world. 68

69 Only the one who transcends time (death) and desire can become Jnani. He becomes Jnani who sacrifices himself for the sake of Self. Every king cannot become a Jnani but when Jnani becomes the king, people become prosperous. That is the reason we still discuss about the Rama Rajyam (Kingdom of Rama) till date. 69

70 Jnani has no work either in this world or in the other worlds but still work is carried out through Jnani. Jnani has nothing to do but things happen through Him. Jnani has come into this world only to lead the society towards equanimity. 70

71 It is Jnani alone who can love this world. This world can be loved only by them whose heart is filled with peace forever and not by them who always burn in the fire of ego. Jnani s sight is that of Shiva (Self) and Ajnani s is that of Shava (corpse). Jnani is an embodiment of Silence. But as we do not understand the Silence, Jnani, out of grace, preaches us through words. 71

72 Jnani need not think of helping this world, but the mere sustenance of his body benefits the world immensely. Jnani does not even think that the world is benefitted through him. If he thinks so, how can he become a Jnani? The Kalpavriksha (wish fulfilling tree) and Kamadenu grant us whatever we desire for and nothing more. But the presence of a Holy Man grants us much more than that we desire ie., even that which we did not desire for. The benefit derived from visiting a Holy Man is much more than the benefit derived from any of your pilgrimages or rituals or yagnas or yagas. 72

73 When an incarnation or Jnani takes birth on this earth all the noble hearted people get liberated. It is because their heart is always pure and straight forward. But the worldly people are always bent aside with impurity. Therefore they can never accept the glory of the Holy people. When water falls down it can never fall into a bowl that is turned upside down, but can only fall into a bowl that exists in an erect position. The worldly people resemble the bowls that are turned upside down. 73

74 A Jnani is beyond the states of waking, dream and sleep. Do you require any evidence (supporting) to identify yourselves to be so and so? Similarly Jnani doesn t require any evidence (supporting) to identify himself with the Self. Jnani identifies himself with the Self as naturally as Ajnani identifies himself with the body. 74

75 Jnani doesn t depend upon worldly objects for his happiness. A devotee s mind is merged in God, a yogi s mind is faultless but a Jnani s mind can be considered dead. The death of the body cannot be considered as death. Only the death of the tendencies can be considered as the real death. One who cannot die cannot love and the one who cannot love cannot become a Jnani. He, who serves, surrenders and worships the Jnani, enters the higher worlds. Moreover his past tendencies will perish away. It is a sin to differentiate between Jnani and God. Jnani is also aware of our journey after the death. 75

76 The glory of Jnani is revealed only in His face and not in any books. Tears roll down from our eyes whenever our stomach aches or leg aches. Similarly the Heart of a Holy Man experiences sorrow on looking at any hardship in the society. Without God s Grace, none can ever become Jnani. All the activities of a Jnani occur as per his destiny but the Jnani is never disturbed by the gains or losses arising from the fruits of his activities. The happiness derived from bodily comforts is very meager when compared to the Infinite Bliss of the Self that Jnani experiences. 76

77 A performer of miracles need not be a Jnani. Only the one possessing equanimity and love can become a Jnani. He is not a Jnani who brings back a corpse alive, but he is a Jnani who lives like a corpse. He becomes a yogi who leads a moderate life. One does not become Jnani by not taking food or by growing long hairs. A person whose mind is extroverted can never become Jnani but only a person whose mind is introverted can become Jnani. A Jnani looks upon an atheist also as God. He is a Jnani who experiences the bliss of deep sleep in the waking state. 77

78 Many Jnanis took birth in this world. But no two Jnanis treaded the same path to obtain Self Realization. The abodes of Jnanis in the past have now become the places of pilgrimage. Merit (fruit of good deeds) or demerit (fruit of sins) is brought only by the body or mind or words. He alone becomes Jnani who dedicates them (body & mind & words) to God. 78

79 As you toil hard to earn money, you also work hard to earn devotion. Bhakti (Love for God) is a Ganga. The salt namely ego melts in this Ganga (Bhakti). There is no Mukti (liberation) for those lacking Bhakti. When we laugh, even the Jnani laughs. When we weep, even the Jnani weeps. Jnani s actions resemble the actions of a new born child. But there is a difference between a child and Jnani. The suppressed & hidden tendencies within a child s heart roar out as the child grows. But the tendencies within the heart of a Jnani are completely burnt into ashes. 79

80 A person possessing tendencies can never become Jnani. Only those who serve Jnani can become Jnani. Jnani thinks that he has a body but never considers Himself to be a body. Jnani never looks upon the world to be separate from Him but considers it to be an integral part of Himself. Jnani has no duties to perform. However work happens through him by which he is never bound. 80

81 One who cannot introspect and investigate can never become Jnani. Man can never merge into God without becoming Jnani. In the Gita the Lord said Devotee is dear to Me, I love the yogi but coming to the case of Jnani, he never said that he loves/likes Jnani. Instead he said: There is no difference between Jnani and Myself. Jnani obtains Myself. When God Himself cannot describe the glory of Jnani, how can we attempt to do so? 81

82 Sadguru Nanna Garu on The Self (Aatma) 82

83 Your very nature is Self (Aatma). God and Self are not different. Realized soul (Jnani) calls it as Aatma and devotee calls it as God. It is the Self alone which is omnipresent and YOU ARE THAT. When there is nothing apart from you, how can there exist anything that is superior or inferior to you? Aatma (Self) is Knowledge, Existence and Bliss (Sat Chit Ananda). Aatma is an embodiment of Happiness, Peace, Light, Truth, Bliss and Knowledge. 83

84 Your very nature is the Self (Aatma). Your very nature is God. Your nature itself is the kundalini Shakti and the Kingdom of heaven as proclaimed by Christ. There is no other Beauty or Truth equivalent to Self. Once you taste the Bliss of Self, even if your Ishta Daiva (the Personal god you love most) stands in front of you, you will not have a desire to look at him, such is the glory of the Self. 84

85 The Self that is shining within your Heart is the only Truth. There is no God greater than Truth. There is no religion greater than Truth. There is no nation greater than Truth. The Self (Aatman) has the power to enslave your senses, mind and also your destiny. But are you wholeheartedly desiring for Self (Knowledge)? The Self is revealed only when you desire for it. Isn t it? 85

86 I AM implies Self (Aatman). The i thought refers to the ego. Aham Brahmasmi implies I AM THAT ie., I am the embodiment of Brahman. I that is referred to here, is not the limited i that you all experience. I here indicates the Self. 86

87 The Adi Guru (first Guru) Dakshinamurthy Himself couldn t explain the nature of Self (Aatman) in words and remained Silent. Dakshinamurthy = Dakshina (Right side) + Amurthy (Formless). Therefore Dakshinamurthy implies the formless one who resides within the heart located in the right side of the body i.e., He refers to the Self (Aatman). The Self (Aatman) shining within us is much brighter than millions of Suns put together. It is not visible to these eyes made of flesh. To realize the Self (Aatman), one needs goodness, patience, humility and faith. 87

88 As the Sun is hidden by the clouds, the Self (Aatma) is covered by the cloud namely ego. The Self is revealed only to them who kill their ego when their body is very much alive. Self (Aatma) alone is the true Arunachala. Self is deathless, hence everybody crave for immortality. Self is ever free, hence every one desire freedom. The very nature of Self is love, hence every man loves himself. The very nature of Self is happiness, hence everybody thrive for happiness. Self is sorrow less, hence no one desires sorrow. 88

89 Even though the electric current is invisible, can we doubt its existence? Similarly do not doubt the existence of Self (Aatma) though it is not visible. The electric bulb glows when attached to an electric wire. Similarly incarnations like Rama and Krishna took birth only to manifest the power of Self. However don t limit the Self to their bodies. If we attach a 100 watts bulb to the current wire, it will emit light according to the 100 watts bulb only. Similarly if we attach a 1000 watts bulb to the wire, it will emit light according to the 1000 watts bulb only. Where is the limitation for it (power of wire)? Similarly the strength of Self (Aatma) is Infinite and it doesn t have any boundaries. 89

90 Prarabdha Karma (Destiny ) is limited to body and mind and is in no way related to the Self (Aatma). The Sun is the witness for each of our activity. When our karma (actions) doesn t affect the physical sun, how can it touch the non physical Sun ie., Supreme Self, from which the physical sun derives its light? Except the Self (Aatma), everything else is gross. We may yearn for Selfrealization but the desire of the Self (Aatma) to reveal unto us is much greater than our yearning. 90

91 Self (Aatma) doesn t need any physical body but the ego needs a body. Self is revealed only to those who lead their lives carefully and humbly. My dear friends! Instead of travelling hundreds of miles externally, if you travel at least an inch towards your Heart, you will understand the glory of the Self. 91

92 Love the Truth and it will be revealed to you. You are still ignorant even if you study many scriptures without realizing the Self (Aatma) and a Self-realized soul need not bother himself with the study of scriptures. Self (Aatma) is not revealed to them who is neither a Jnani (realized soul) nor a tyagi (one who sacrifices). It is only the impurities and sins within your heart which are obstructing your path towards the Self. Even one bad tendency prevents you from realizing the Self (Aatma). 92

93 Self (Aatma) is not revealed to the weak and lazy people. Enjoying the sensual pleasures since several births, you have travelled far away from the Self (Aatma). The Self (Aatma) is not revealed until and unless you travel back the same amount of distance (that you travelled away from Self) through sadhana (spiritual effort). 93

94 Self (Aatma) is invisible. It reveals to you only when you are purified. You cannot get rid of the sensual pleasures and cannot transcend the nature until you taste the Bliss of the Self (Aatma). Self (Aatma) is revealed only to a seeker of Truth. Self is Truth and the body is gross. The body works only with the energy of the Self. Self will be revealed to you only when you utilize 100% of your energy. 94

95 By keeping the Self (Aatma) as your sole goal: a) You will find happiness not only in this world but also in other higher worlds (after death). b) You will be able to bear your destiny happily. c) Your needs will be satisfied d) Finally you will experience the Self. Happiness lies in contentment but until the Self is realized, none can become contented. 95

96 Whatever form you may adore, whatever name you may chant, even after a million years, you ultimately need to attain the state of Brahman (Self Realization). Then why don t you aim for Self (Realization) in this very birth and today itself? On repeatedly contemplating upon your personal god (Ishta Daiva), your mind gets concentrated and all the thoughts including the present ones (the thought of personal god) disappear by which Self (Aatma) reveals unto you. 96

97 My Dear Friends! There are many people who crave for their health but is there anyone who craves for Self-realization? You will get Selfrealization if you spend at least half of the tears that you spend for your family. If Self is divided into four portions, all the worlds visible to us constitute only a portion of it. Relative knowledge has at least some ignorance embedded in it. Where there is ignorance, change is inevitable. It is Self (Aatma) alone that is perpetual; it is pure Jnana. 97

98 Needs are different from desires. Self (Aatma) is revealed to them who earn according to their needs and spend their remaining time in efforts for attaining the Self. Don t you know whether you are living for fulfilling your needs or for fulfilling your desires (attaining pleasures)? Even if you don t know, is it unknown to the indwelling Self? 98

99 How can you get Self-realization if you are proud of your learning or money? In order to take out an item that fell into a pool, you hold your breath, close your mouth and then get into the water. Then in order to attain the Self existing within the depths of your Heart, don t you need to regulate your breath, mind words and senses and enter your Heart? Isn t it true that your body is greater (more important) than your clothes, your senses are greater than your body, your mind is greater than your senses, your discrimination/thinking faculty (buddhi) is greater than your mind and the Self (Aatma) is much greater than your discrimination or thinking faculty? 99

100 Faith and reason are equally important in knowing the Truth. But how many of you have faith in the Self? People with rajas and tamas can never listen about the Self and thereby they can never be peaceful. Isn t it true that Shraddha (eagerness to listen) is obtained only through Shravana (listening about Self). How can one attain faith without Shraddha? 100

101 Whether it is Krishna in Gita, or rishis in Vedas, they always said that the Self exists within your Heart but never proclaimed that the Self exists within books. But being habituated to extroverted vision, we always search for the Self in the books rather than in the Heart. Books bestow us with only scholarship and not Self-realization. The Lord said in Gita I shine as Self (Aatma) within your Heart. Dive deep and Search within; only then I will be revealed. We came into this world only to attain the experience of God. We should never forget the purpose of our arrival into this world. 101

102 The incarnation of Ramana came onto this earth only to introvert the humanity (towards Self) which has been habituated to extroversion since time immemorial. As a screen supports the movie images (projected on it), it is the Self which supports the entire creation. Moderation in food, speech and sleep are the best means of attaining the Self. 102

103 Sri Ramana asked : Self is considered as the witness of all our actions. But when there is nothing apart from Self then for whom does it stand as witness? You cannot understand the beauties of Self until and unless you transcend the nature, the gods, the worlds and the tendencies. Self (Aatma) is beyond reasoning but not against it. This is because today s our so called advanced science has not been able to find out how the five elements (the very basis of our nature) have been formulated then how can we expect it to find out the Self (Aatma)? 103

104 Sadguru Nannagaru on Courage 104

105 It is fear that brings us death. It is fear that makes us weak. It is fear that breeds sorrow, said Swami Vivekananda. Lord Krishna started with fearlessness while narrating the Divine Qualities in Bhagavad Gita. Bheeshma said in Mahabharata: A single medicine for all the diseases is COURAGE. 105

106 Sri Aurobindo said in Savithri, You may possess any number of good qualities but you cannot survive/progress if you don t possess Courage and Love. Fear is inevitable as long as the bondage exists. You cannot get rid of fear as long as responsibilities and burdens exist within your mind. You need to have tremendous courage to make progress spiritually. Self is not revealed to the lazy and frightened people. Your fear will vanish with the increase in your Love for God. As long as the fear exists, taking birth is inevitable. 106

107 Your true friend is your courage only and certainly not your money. As long as the body mindedness, duality and worldliness exist, man is always chased by fear and violence. Your pranic shakti is depleted due to fear. Yoga is fruitful only for the one who increases his prana shakti. Fear kills your thinking and discrimination. It is the fear that brings you death. It is the fear that breeds sorrow. Then why don t you get rid of the fear that harms you? If you really trust the existence of God, why do you have fear? 107

108 He is bold who practices the words of God for the sake of God (ie., for the sake of God s satisfaction), though they may not be to his liking. He is brave who is able to transcend his delusion. A Coward can never kill his delusion. A Coward will certainly incur sin. A Coward can neither transcend the nature nor trust the words of God. Never pity yourselves. He is courageous whose only goal is Self Realization and who is ever ready to die for the sake of Self. 108

109 He is courageous and bold who conquers his mind rather than the whole world. He is not brave who exchanges back word for a word rather he is brave who can tolerate with patience. We came onto this earth all alone. Also we have to leave this earth all alone. Then why do you fear to live all alone? 109

110 My Dear Friends! This world represents a dog. The dog stops chasing you if you face it boldly. Instead if you keep running out of fear, it will certainly not stop its chase. Similar is this world. Only the brave can transcend this world. God reveals Himself only to them who transcend the nature. 110

111 Sadguru Nannagaru on Ego 111

112 Ego refers to the first thought I. The ego exists as long as the I is limited to the body. This ego called I is the source of all the other thoughts. Everything exists if the ego exists and nothing exists if the ego perishes. Sri Ramana said, The body, world and God seem to be true as long as the ego exists but they become false when the ego perishes. 112

113 Every person is being deceived by his ego and not by God! The ego is formless but it troubles us till the end by holding unto some form or the other. You will be released from the nature if you can get rid of your ego. Ego is born out of ignorance. As long as the ego exists, there is separateness. When the ego perishes, this world is visible but is not separate from us. Our lives seem to be burdensome as we are carrying the weight of our 113

114 The ego itself is the Jiva, the mind, the world, the sorrow and the hell (and everything that is nonsense). All the delusion exists within the ego. If the ego is a bubble, the Self is an ocean! An ocean can exist without a bubble but a bubble can t exist without an ocean. 114

115 We are born when the ego takes birth and we are dead only when the ego dies. Considering the body s birth to be our birth and the body s death as our death is not true. Only the ego needs the body. The Self has no work with the body. The fruits of good deeds and bad deeds exist only for the ego and are in no way related to the Self. 115

116 Even though you may be presently experiencing the fruits of good deeds as per your body s destiny, this is temporary. One day or the other this will vanish away, after which you will have to bear the fruits of your bad deeds(sins). GOD said: We are the Self. He never said: We are the ego. Though you may consider yourselves to be the ego, the Truth never becomes false. It is GOD s words that are authentic and not yours. 116

117 Everyman leads his life identifying himself with the body and the mind. We are not trapped by God but are trapped by the devil called ego. All of us are roaming in a forest called ego. Self is not revealed until this ego is crucified. Till then it is inevitable to take birth. When we are decorating our egos through our worship, what is the use of such worship? Getting rid of the ego is the true worship and the true sacrifice. 117

118 As long as the body exists, wearing clothes is inevitable and so long as the ego exists getting body is inevitable. We are the Masters of this body but we ourselves are not the body. Can t you attempt to know the source of the I (ego) at least on the birthday of your body? The ego hidden within and the debt hidden within keep on growing. 118

119 When you always fear the death or the poverty, why aren t you afraid of the devil called ego which troubles you forever? You might have uttered I, I, at least for a crore times since your birth. But have you ever questioned yourselves who this I is? You don t get angry when it is said that God doesn t exist but you get angry when it is said that you don t exist. But did you ever see the one who gets the anger? 119

120 If the body possesses the power to say I, it would resist when we burn it in the burial ground. Won t it rebel and question back: Why are you burning me? Did you ever see any corpse rebelling thus? Then who is this I? Won t you try to know him? Don t ever think that you are superior to others; Also don t possess the inferiority complex. Superiority complex gladdens the ego and Inferiority complex saddens the ego. 120

121 It is your ego that desires respect or honor from others. It is their will whether to respect you or not; who are you to command respect from them? It is slavery in expecting respect from others which only breeds sorrow. You must live only for the sake of yourselves and not for the sake of honour that you get from others. Troubles are inevitable if you crave for honour. 121

122 You are not angry when you are asked to clean your clothes but you are angry when you are asked to cleanse your mind. It implies you are identifying yourselves with the ego which is the reason for your anger. Self is the mother of the i thought. But this i behaves independently forgetting the Self. All of us are committing matricide (killing mother) by limiting ourselves to this i. We will not be considered as forgetful of our mother only when this i is merged into the Self. 122

123 Sadguru Nannagaru on Food 123

124 This body is formulated by food. If you are careful about your food, 50% of your sadhana (spiritual practice) is done. (Pickles increase your rajas). Except for spiritual science, all other sciences took birth only for the sake of (feeding) stomach. We must eat to live but not live to eat. 124

125 Sri Ramana said, Hitamainadi mithamuga tinu which implies: Eat moderately that which is beneficial for you. Even hunger is a disease. As you take medicine according to schedule and in appropriate proportions when inflicted by a disease, take your food appropriately when inflicted by the disease called hunger. 125

126 Sri Krishna mentioned in the Gita as yuktaahara ie moderate food. He never mentioned as to what is eatable and what is not eatable. As the body grows on eating food, it is described as annamaya kosa (layer of food). If Jnana can be attained on mere regulation of food, all the residents of nature cure hospitals should become Jnanis. Regulation of food is only a means to attain Jnana. 126

127 Sadguru Nannagaru on Friendship 127

128 All the friendships in the world are not true. They are only friend ships ; this ship will drown the friend on one day or the other. Adi Shankara said: People possessing evil company are equivalent to dogs. The reason for using such harsh words is that bad company breeds bad habits. These bad habits don t end in burial ground but accompany you in future births and bring you sorrow. 128

129 It doesn t matter if you throw stones into an ocean. But throwing stones into a small pit makes the water muddy. All of us represent a small pit. If we befriend with worldly people, we will lose even our so called existing devotion. Therefore beware of bad company. If your goat/sheep is left into your green farmland, it spoils the entire farmland. Similarly your bad company spoils your good qualities and pushes you into lower worlds. But Holy Company acts like a fence that protects your farmland. 129

130 This world contains three kinds of mahatmas (holy people): Firstly the mahatmas by birth, who do good work without being aware of their greatness. Secondly who are not born mahatmas but who become mahatmas on performing good deeds. Finally, those who are neither born Mahatmas nor become Mahatmas through their good work but who always agonize the world to recognize them as Mahatmas. Presently the world is filled with the Mahatmas of the third category. 130

131 Holy Company breeds your good qualities, brings you higher births and higher worlds and thereby liberation. Solitude, fasting and Holy Company are good. Anyway as you don t choose to have solitude and fasting, at least beware in terms of your company. You may talk with everyone but befriend only few people. Whether a person is reformed or spoilt depends upon his friendship. 131

132 As far as possible keep away from bad company for they deliberately hurt the hearts of good people without any cause. The injuries of the body are burnt in the burial ground but the injuries of the Heart take several births to heal. Einstein said If required, travel up to the border (corner most places) of the earth for attaining Holy Company. 132

133 If you are faced with a tiger while being chased by an evil person, it is better to become a prey for the tiger rather than getting into the hands of that evil person, says Madhvacharya. It is because you will be losing only the current birth in becoming a prey to the tiger but getting into the hands of evil person fetches you meanest of the births. 133

134 Kalpavriksha (Wish fulfilling tree) and Kamadenu (Desire fulfilling Cow) grant you only those which you desire. But the Holy Company grants you even those which you did not desire (but is beneficial for you). Being intimate with the worldly people thickens your mind and being away from them reforms it. Gautama Buddha said: Live in solitude like an elephant in a forest if you are unable to get Holy Company in the society where you live. 134

135 Sadguru Nannagaru on Likes & Dislikes 135

136 Our likes (Attachments) arise out of delusion. Our faulty mind is the creator of our dislikes (hatred). You may consider that attachment for a person only constitutes bondage but even hatred for a person indicates delusion. Only a sin within a man is expressed as his likes, fear, anger and hatred. Anyone devoid of their peace can t fight against their sin. Likes and Dislikes are much dreadful than the disease of cancer. When you are afraid of cancer, why don t you fear your likes and dislikes? 136

137 Your likes and dislikes bring you a great loss. They kill your discrimination and immerse you in an ocean of sorrow. Your likes and dislikes accompany you even if you run away to forest abandoning your home. So how long would you like to continue this business that fetches you only loss? This world lacks the power to forbear goodness. That s the reason why Socrates was poisoned, Christ was crucified and Gandhiji was assassinated! 137

138 What else exists in the world other than likes and dislikes? How can we experience the Truth when we cannot even transcend these petty likes and dislikes? Desire (lust) and anger emerge from our likes and dislikes. They disturb us taking the shelter of our senses, mind and reason/intellect. Only the one who experiences the Truth can transcend the desire. Desire is aware of only hunger and not of indigestion. Raaga (likes) does not imply love. Though certain things are really harmful, we consider them to be beneficial and develop great attachment for them. This is called as Raga. Roga (disease) is inevitable for him who possesses Raaga (likes). 138

139 Sadguru Nannagaru on Religion & Society 139

140 Religion doesn t constitute of mere Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam. In fact a separate religion (implying opinion) exists for every mind in this world. Even religion is but a creation of our mind! Religion is in no way related to words, it is related to experience. Every religion is founded only because of these three - Mind, world and God. Many battles have been fought in the name of religion. These religions have done more harm than good to the mankind. Religion should make a man wise but if it intoxicates him, such a religion is useless. 140

141 Religion should increase the wisdom and knowledge of man. Religions are founded only to realize the Self but the Self existed even before the birth of these religions. Religion doesn t imply performance of good deeds; it is related to the way of life. Hinduism is our religion. This is also called as Sanathana dharma ie., the ancient religion. Every religion has its own founder, but Hinduism was not established by anyone. Hinduism is rooted in the Vedas. That s why it is called as the Vedic religion. 141

142 Vedas have been created by God and not by man. Our sages did not write the Vedas out of their imagination but wrote down the sounds they heard. Hence Vedas are also called as Rukkus. Our sages have named God as OM, which is called as Amen by the Christians. Our Vedas contain all the virtues relating to us right from our birth from mother s womb till being burnt in the burial ground. But these virtues don t constitute our goal- Self Realization. 142

143 The Self has been described in the latter part of the Vedas. That s why it is called as Vedanta. The path of Self enquiry as prescribed by Sri Ramana is the very essence of Vedanta. The power to discriminate between the Self and Non Self enhances by the practice of Self enquiry. The benefit that India as a nation derived from Adi Shankara is priceless and immeasurable. Sri Shankara is the great sage who travelled right from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari on foot in the days when there was no means of any conveyance. He reformed the degrading Hinduism and thereby protected the integrity of the nation. 143

144 In this Modern era, the noteworthy people in this nation are: Gautama Buddha, Adi Shankara, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Ramana Maharishi and Swami Vivekananda. India has a unique place in the world history in respect of spiritual education. This is due to Holy men like Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Sri Ramana etc., It is only because of women that Hinduism survived in India. In the current scenario, reason is much more important than devotion for India. 144

145 Society implies collection of people. If people are reformed, the society is also reformed. Sri Ramana said, Without reforming himself, one cannot reform the society. Dharma (Virtue) is in no way related to the structure of the society. In the process of time, the structure of the society keeps changing. Dharma also changes accordingly. 145

146 Character is an ornament for the society. Character breeds Strength. Our fellowmen are not to be served, rather they should be adored. As long as ignorance exists in the society, the nation will be tortured by poverty. The society will be reformed only if man leads a selfless life. Is there any house or village or country which is devoid of problems? The only cause for this is the lack of purity in our mind and senses. 146

147 As long as we are body minded, the form seems to be attractive. All of us cannot concentrate on the same form. Therefore our Hinduism has created several Gods. That is why our religion is very broad minded. Desire filled devotion binds the man and turns him selfish. But desire less devotion releases man from selfishness and thereby liberates him. Delusion is the root cause of man s selfishness. It is certain that a deluded man will incur sin. As long as the darkness of delusion exists within the heart, the society can t get rid of corruption, ignorance and poverty. 147

148 If every person can reform himself then the society will be reformed automatically. It is because there is no separate existence for society without people. A Characterless nation can t progress. Character is the true wealth. Any nation devoid of patience will perish. The impression (ripple) on water is recognized at least for a second but Is our arrival onto earth and departure from this world ever recognized? 148

149 Sadguru Nannagaru on Delusion (Maya) 149

150 God has put all the delusion in the form of ego within us. But we think that Maya exists elsewhere and search for it in the other worlds laying aside our ego. Valmiki Maharishi said in the Ramayana that God has put the entire delusion of the world in the Currency (Money). That which is ever changing constitutes Maya. Decide whether you want the never changing Self or the ever changing world? 150

151 There is no difference between the images on a cinema screen and us. Our lives are not true - they are deluded ie., equivalent to a dream. There is no other Maya equivalent to your mind. It inspires you to know everything in the world but doesn t like in finding out its source. Maya is in the control of God and we are in the control of Maya. Until and unless we experience the Bliss of the Self, we are not free from our senses and the Maya will not show us the path (for Jnana). 151

152 The wife, children, relatives and friends accompanying us in this birth will change in the next birth. But God always accompanies us until we realize the Truth. We neglect God who would not leave us till our end and catch hold of the temporary forms (of delusion) throughout our life. What other Maya can exist apart from this? Except for Self, all other worlds are false! But we are searching for God not within our Heart but in all the other worlds. However God has created His permanent abode within our Hearts in the form of Self. 152

153 Everybody wants to know as to what happens to him after his death but doesn t attempt to know who he is right now- This is the greatest Maya! The happiness for which you are running after gods is within you only. But the Maya in the form of ego is obstructing its experience. The world visible to our eyes itself is a big Maya. This world, made up of the five elements, is equivalent to a dream. Isn t the dream a delusion? Will the dream ever become Truth? 153

154 The mind that accompanies you after death is considered secondary and the body that is burnt in the burial ground is considered primary. Isn t this Maya? Mind is the source of all creation. But you will not understand this Truth until you know the source of mind. As you use a stick to prevent a dog from biting you, utilize your intellect/reason to transcend the Maya. 154

155 You are not bound by God rather you are bound by Maya or mind. You will not realize this Truth as long as you lead a body centric life. It is only due to your delusion (within) that you consider the non-existent world as existing and the ever present God as not existing. This world existed even before your birth and will exist even after your death. What is the relationship between you and this world? Everyone wants to reform this world but who has reformed this world before your birth and who will reform it after your death? Isn t this Maya? 155

156 There are people who get delighted on looking at the world but how many devotees rejoice in viewing God? How is God revealed to him who is intoxicated by the world? Miracles are Maya. They are equivalent to a dream. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa asked us to look upon them as impurity (shit). Maya gives path only to them who transcend the dualities. Lord Krishna said in the Gita: None can transcend my Maya. It is because he put the entire Maya in this egoistic i. But would anyone like to kill his own ego? 156

157 A farmer always thinks about his crop. A businessman thinks about his business. A scientist thinks about science. Similarly a devotee thinks about God. The thinker exists here as well as there. Then what about this thinker? As long as the thinker exists, the births are inevitable. Did you think about the one who is the cause of your births? Did you ever attempt to know about him who asks you to know about various things in the world? What happens to him in your deep sleep? The Self will be revealed only if you can know his source. 157

158 Sadguru Nannagaru on Mind 158

159 The I thought plus other thoughts constitute the mind, which is also called as Jiva. Sri Krishna said in the Gita that the mind can be controlled by spiritual practice and renunciation. You get many thoughts not related to this life. The pleasures that you enjoyed throughout several births hide as tendencies within your Heart and shoot out in the form of thoughts. Until and unless the thought arises, you are not aware of your tendencies. 159

160 All your efforts are only to purify your mind. As you proceed in your efforts, the tendencies get weakened and enable you to transcend the nature. Remembrance of God cleanses your mind ie., is equivalent to a bath for your mind. My Dear Friends! Your thoughts and tendencies are the chains that bind you. All the worship, Japa and meditation that has been prescribed is only to cast off the pleasures that you have been enjoying throughout several births and to enhance devotion within you. 160

161 Your Heart itself is Kurukshetra ( the battlefield where Mahabharatha was fought). Your good desires represent Pandavas and bad desires represent Kauravas. The war (of Mahabharatha) did not end long back- it still continues every second within your Heart. Every day in the evening, sit in solitude and look towards sky. It will improve your mental health. 161

162 Once the mind is concentrated and purified, you will attain subtle power. It is only when the mind becomes subtle that you will know the secrets of creation and the beauties within you. Isn t it? Food strengthens the body; Surrender strengthens the mind. If your Surrender is true, no questions will arise within you. 162

163 Our elders said: It is your mind that constantly brings you disturbance and sorrow; therefore control the same. But does the mind exist? When all your tendencies perish, where is the existence for the mind? The mind seems to exist but does not exist. The Heart is the birthplace of your mind and the head is it s in-law s place. The mind will subside only if you habituate to place it in its birthplace. It cannot be controlled as long as it stays in it s in-law s place. 163

164 Your habits are only called as your tendencies. If your body becomes feeble due to old age, it doesn t indicate that your tendencies will be weakened. You will get a new body to fulfill your tendencies. So you need not worry with the agedness or expiry of your body. It doesn t matter even if the body is not burnt after the death for them who burn their mind when the body is very much alive. 164

165 You may think that you are being harmed by your enemies. But the harm done by your mind cannot be done by any of your enemies. The humbled or subsided mind is only your true friend. Controlling your mind may be difficult for you but not for God. Only the devotion for God purifies your mind. Even though you may possess worldly tendencies, they are weakened and thereby destroyed if your mind is pure. 165

166 Even your brain is created by your mind. Your brain represents a taperecorder, the mind representing the tape and the senses representing the speakers. The tape-recorder speaks out the words within a tape through its speakers. Similarly the brain enables tendencies of the mind to be experienced through the senses. 166

167 If you accept your body s destiny, your body s journey will be completed without any new tendencies. But if you rebel, you get new tendencies which in turn bring new births. A spider builds its own web, stays in it and finally perishes in it. Similarly it is your mind alone which creates this world, resides in it and finally gets bound in this worldliness leading to several births in future. 167

168 Food nourishes the body whereas name and form nourish the mind. Mind always revolves around a name and form. Forms are inevitable as long as tendencies/weaknesses If you remove each and every grass blade in a bunch of grass, there is no existence for the bunch of grass. The fire in the stove vanishes if all the sticks are removed one by one. Similarly if all the tendencies are destroyed one after the other, there is no existence for mind. 168

169 All the mystery/secret exists within the Mind - if you can disassociate yourselves from mind, you will be released from Maya or Delusion. A pure mind can perceive the beauties of the earth. A mind devoid of freedom and health cannot realize the Self. Your tendencies are only your ignorance. These tendencies are not gifted by God. These are compiled by you in your previous births. God is in no way related to them. If they have been gifted by God, all of us should have possessed them equally for God doesn t possess any partiality. 169

170 Whatever thoughts seem to bring you hardships and calamities in this birth represent the actions done by you very lovingly in your previous births. They are chasing you in the form of tendencies. As long as the doer-ship exists, none can get rid of their tendencies or escape from their thoughts and thereby cannot cross the ocean of karma. 170

171 It is inevitable that your most loving desires in this birth turn out to be your burdens in future births. It is very natural that today s likes may become tomorrow s dislikes. This is the law of nature. We cannot transcend the dualities until the Self is realized. Only he can surpass the vicious circle of karma, who can trust the existence of God and place all his burdens upon Him. 171

172 Purified mind represents the Self. Self is revealed only where the mind ceases to work. A purified mind is never perturbed. Honor extroverts your mind whereas insult introverts your mind. It doesn t matter if you lose physical health for the sake of mental health. Your physical disease is burnt in the burial ground but your mental disease accompanies you in your future births. 172

173 As long as you find happiness in this world, your senses as well as your mind can never get introverted getting rid of delusion. If not today, on some other day and if not in this birth, in some other birth, you are answerable to each and every thought of yours. As the hardships expel the flaws within mind, the comforts cannot do the same. Can we utilize a wet pot without heating it? Those are blessed indeed who tolerate their hardships accepting them as boons. 173

174 When faced with hardships, if you consider them to be temporary, your mind will not be depressed. Similarly your mind will not be elated or bulged if you consider your comforts to be temporary. You must be able to accept the bad luck and the good luck with equanimity that is yoga. It is your mind only which creates the nature. Your mind is filled with sin as long as it runs towards the nature without searching for its source. As long as the mind is impure it cannot be stilled. Don t trust your mind until the Self is realized! 174

175 You are bound by the tendencies pertaining to that of the world, the body and the scriptures. One may transcend the tendencies relating to the world and the scriptures through spiritual effort but getting rid of the tendency relating to body is very difficult. It is possible only through the Grace of Guru or by the Grace of God. 175

176 All the worldly affairs are but a business/trade. Finally even your devotion has become a trade. That s why you are not able to know the Truth through your worship. That which is bigger than the visible world and forms the very basis of it, is within your Heart. You will understand this Truth only when your mind is introverted. 176

177 My dear friends! You are running towards hospital when your body is prickled by a small thorn. Have you ever attempted to get rid of the thorns existing in the form of doubts within your mind? It is only due to the bad tendencies that we compiled through several births that make us doubt the very existence of God. Though God resides in our lips, it is the devil which resides within our mind. If there is such a distance between our lips and mind then how far are we away from God? 177

178 When you cannot control your words, how can you control your thoughts or mind? Can t you give at least that much importance to your mind (which has been troubling you throughout several births) which you give for your body, house and clothes? Don t you want to take care of your mind that helps you in attaining Selfrealization? If your mind has to be within your control, if your mind has to appease you and if your mind should not become burdensome, be very careful in terms of taking food because mind is made of food. 178

179 Anyone trying to get rid of his sinful thoughts will attain God only if he yearns like a man trying to get out of a burning house. God s Grace is a trap for the mad elephant called mind. The worldliness (samsara) is contained within mind. Man is always chased by his mind existing in the form of thoughts and things. Man s foremost duty is to get released from the burdens and bondages hidden within the mind. 179

180 In order to transcend the petty natured mind/ narrow mindedness, it is very necessary to lead a life of self control. Idols have been created only to teach us that control. Yantras, Tantras and Mantras have been formulated only for controlling the mind. Only his mind gets introverted who possesses concentration, purity, intelligence and humility. Until and unless the mind is introverted, man cannot reach the pearl of Self within the depths of his Heart. There is no greater noble work than attaining Self Realization. 180

181 Sadguru Nannagaru on Liberation (Moksha) 181

182 Moksha implies release. But release from what? It is release from ignorance. What is ignorance? Ego is ignorance. What is ego? Ego implies the body consciousness. Therefore everyone with body consciousness is bound. Liberation is only for those who are bound. Why does anyone who is not bound need freedom? Moksha is not for the i limited to the body. In fact Moksha is getting rid of i limited to the body. Ego cannot have liberation. Getting rid of ego is liberation. 182

183 Self is another name for Liberation. Liberation can never be attained by doing something. You are in Moksha only even when you desire Moksha. It is only the ignorance within you that separates you from Moksha. When the ignorance vanishes, Moksha is within you. Many people are deluded that Moksha is an object and is available in Kailasa or Vaikuntha. When will you know that You are already THAT for which you are craving and IT (Self) is within you here and now. Is it in this birth or in some other birth? 183

184 My Dear Friends! Moksha needs to be attained before the body s death as nothing can be attained once the body perishes. Until we attain Moksha, we keep getting these bodies and can never escape the vicious circle of births and deaths. Moksha implies experiencing one s very nature ie., Self and to abide as Self. Moksha is not an object. It is the Light that shines within our Heart. 184

185 Siddhi is a synonym for Moksha. He is a Siddha Purusha who obtains/experiences the thing that is ever ready/ever present. But what is ever ready? It is the Self. Atma Siddhi is the real Siddhi. All the other Siddhis are dream stuff. Only the one with good thinking faculty attains Siddhi by which even Jiva becomes Shiva. 185

186 Moksha is that which needs to be thought of, understood and experienced verily in this body and world itself. Moksha need not be postponed until death. Moksha is not that which needs to be attained after death but which needs to be attained when we are very much alive. Only they can get rid of bondage who utilize their body, mind, words and deeds naturally and appropriately. As long as I and mine exist within Jiva, he cannot become God; Also he can never understand the meaning or essence of Moksha. 186

187 Everyone is within Moksha. Man s true nature and Ultimate goal is Moksha alone. But due to faulty thinking faculty, he is deluded that he is far away from Moksha. Only the body consciousness and selfishness are disassociating man from Moksha. 187

188 Man is not able to experience the Eternal Bliss due to his misdeeds and misconceptions. The Eternal Peace that emerges from Moksha is as pure as the Ganges from Heaven (Akasa Ganga) ie., it has no impurities. Nirvana is another name for Moksha. It implies transcending the body consciousness. 188

189 Sadguru Nannagaru on Self Knowledge (Jnana) 189

190 Jnana is the very nature (essence) of Self. Jnana itself is liberation. Jnana itself is the (Ultimate) happiness. Paradevata doesn t imply Goddess Parvathi. Paradevata implies Jnana only. The true essence of human life is Jnana only. There exists a nerve that connects the brain and the Spiritual heart which is called as the Amrita Nadi. It is invisible to the eyes. Until and unless it is awakened we don t (become conscious) attain Jnana. 190

191 It is Jnana alone that can take a man to a sorrow less state. Sri Krishna said in the Gita that there is nothing equivalent to Jnana in this world or in the higher worlds. When there is nothing equivalent to Jnana how can there exist anything greater than Jnana? Science and technology can bring comfort to the body but not control to the mind. It is Jnana alone that purifies you and releases you from ignorance. Jnana is not produced in the factories. It is attained only through Self enquiry. 191

192 A person without discrimination does not even get the path (towards liberation). As and when the discrimination grows within you, your intellect blossoms, your power to differentiate between the truth and the false grows, your tendencies perish and you get liberated. Though you may possess ignorance that can bring you several births, it will be burnt to ashes once you are liberated. 192

193 Only those who regulate their pranic shakti get the path towards Jnana. When yearning for God takes birth in your Heart and your nature becomes matured, you will attain Jnana within a blink. Buddha said, No one desires for Jnana in this world. Einstein said, No one desires for Jnana in this world as they don t know the worth of it. 193

194 Selfless work reduces the strength of your tendencies and ultimately destroy them leading to Jnana. Selfless work purifies man, whereas selfish work binds him (with karma). Many people proclaim that they are serving the society. But if such service increases your ego, it is only harming you. Our Ultimate goal is Jnana (liberation) and not Seva(Service). 194

195 Science of Self (Brahma vidya) is the kingly science among all the sciences. It is the deepest science and deathless science. It removes your weaknesses, purifies you and fills you with Jnana. All the other sciences except Brahma vidya only increase your worldliness. You may master any number of sciences but you cannot cross this ocean of worldliness (samsara sagara) until and unless you possess Brahma vidya. 195

196 Miracles are but delusion. Your qualities are much greater than the miracles. Miracles bring you lower births whereas your good qualities lead you towards Jnana. Any amount of good work done by you represent zeroes without one (on left hand side of zeroes) if you don t strive for liberation. Possessing insight is greater than having foresight. Your foresight may bring you worldly benefits but your insight brings you liberation. 196

197 You will transcend the good and bad if you work without doer-ship. Truth abiding person only can transcend the world and the one who transcends the world only can attain Jnana. Yoga diverts the human mind from pleasures towards Jnana. Yoga generates the power which leads you towards Jnana. Whatever name or form you may worship wholeheartedly, the same name and form would enable you to transcend all the names and forms. 197

198 As and when the sattva increases within you, your mind becomes introverted, you experience the coolness within your Heart, your mind becomes pure and the body becomes light. If you want God s Grace and thereby liberation, don t trouble anyone. Even if anyone troubles you, don t get troubled. People treading the path of spirituality should always keep their body and mind cool. In order to attain Jnana, the body needs comfort and mind needs control. 198

199 JJnana increases the power to discriminate between the true and the false. Oneness is much greater than duality. Your concentration on external things only suppresses your senses but doesn t destroy your tendencies. The suppressed senses represent a sleeping snake and may roar back at any point of time. Only he becomes a Jnani whose senses are destroyed and not the one whose senses are suppressed. It is only through self enquiry that the senses weaken and not through any religion. 199

200 Jesus said: Knock the door and it shall be opened. Search for it and it shall be found. A natural and simple life blossoms your Heart, which enables the Self shining within you to reveal itself. Only they attain Jnana whose yearning for God is as intense as the yearning of a drowning person for breath or yearning of a fish thrown onto land for water. 200

201 The Jack fruit s stickiness will not soil the hands if the hands are cleansed with oil before cutting the Jack fruit. Similarly any work done after attaining Jnana will not bind/touch you. We call him a poor man who lacks the power to purchase the things in the market. Though the books are full of Knowledge, if one lacks the wisdom to read and understand them, he will remain ignorant (ajnani). 201

202 As a doctor uses his knife carefully and skillfully while operating any person, one has to use his mind, word, deed and body skillfully and carefully throughout his life to attain Jnana. Everyone dressed in Saffron cannot be termed as an ascetic. He is a true mendicant/ sanyasin who performs his work without any doer-ship. One cannot become a Jnani only by regulating his senses. He is a true Jnani whose tendencies are completely destroyed. 202

203 Being good is good but a man cannot make spiritual progress by just being good. Goodness must be accompanied by wisdom. Only he attains Jnana who leads the life of a river. Jnana reveals the Truth as it is (in toto) and removes the delusion. Though you may not worship Rama, you will attain Jnana if you lead the life of Rama. Rama s name is greater than Rama s form. You will not attain Jnana merely by offering flowers to God. Your whole life must become a yoga. 203

204 Shakespeare said: A sinner who repents for his sins is liberated faster than the person who increases his ego through his good work. Only they attain Jnana who become faultless (pure) even when their body is very much alive. Only they become Paramahamsa who transcend the nature. The impure ones cannot transcend the nature. 204

205 God bestows them with good thinking faculty who enjoy their destiny peacefully with full fledged faith in God. Problems and doubts don t arise to a person with true surrender. A non sacrificing person can never become a Jnani. Only a person with tolerance can become a Jnani. All your studies and qualifications are in vain if they don t increase your discrimination, patience and humility. Until and unless you realize that other than Self everything else is a dream stuff, you will have to take birth and as long as you take birth, sorrow is inevitable. 205

206 Your thinking faculty (buddhi) resembles a car driver. Does the car reach its destination when the driver is inappropriate? Your thinking faculty (buddhi) is only your driver. When your thinking faculty (buddhi) is not purified, you will not even find the path. Self is the only Truth. We did not even transcend the body and reach the mindthen how can we understand the Self? One, whose tendencies are not completely destroyed, can t understand the Truth in God s words. Even understanding (God s words) is Yoga. 206

207 This body resembles a connecting bridge in knowing the Truth. Even before this perishable & temporary body is subject to death, experience the deathless Self within you. My Dear brothers and sisters! The human birth is like a railway junction. It is only through human birth that you can reach the higher worlds or the lower worlds. It is only through human birth that you can reach the heaven or the hell. Also you can get liberated only through human birth. That s the reason Adi Shankara said, Human birth, devotion for God and Holy Company are obtained only through previous good deeds. 207

208 Our goal is neither puja (worship) nor japa nor dhyana (meditation) but only moksha (liberation). Doer-ship exists in the path of meditation but not in the path of Knowledge. If you have true devotion for God, even that will bestow liberation. Wealth cannot bestow us with Self Knowledge. Only boundless renunciation can bestow us with Self Knowledge. My dear friends! Renunciation resembles a sword. Only they attain Jnana who cut the tree of delusion with the sword of renunciation. Until then carrying the corpse (taking birth) is inevitable! 208

209 My dear friends! Aren t my words touching your heart? Without Truth experience, this birth is vain, vain and vain! Bliss, Peace and Knowledge are your very nature. But the demon called ego is disassociating you from your nature ie Self. As long as you decorate this demon called ego with your studies, wealth and fame, how can you attain Bliss? You are becoming an obstruction to yourself in knowing thyself. Can t you swallow yourselves? One who swallows himself becomes a yogi and a yogi in turn becomes a Jnani. One who can t swallow himself becomes a bhogi (enjoys sensual pleasures) who in turn becomes a rogi (diseased person). 209

210 Good deeds do not bestow liberation. It is only Jnana that bestows liberation. The fruit of good deeds resemble golden chains whereas the fruit of bad deeds resemble the iron chains. The iron chains and golden chains bind us equally. Truth put into practice is called dharma (virtue). One who doesn t swerve away from dharma always finds the path and hence attains Jnana. Don t renounce your own thinking faculty. Utilize your thinking faculties and keep your intellect engaged. He who doesn t deceive himself attains Jnana. 210

211 It is not great to act according to your thinking faculty. It is great if you abide by God s will (word) even when you don t like it. Pouring ghee into fire doesn t constitute a yagna (sacrifice). The true yagna lies in sacrificing your bad/harmful tendencies. Hearing God s words intently is a yagna. Recollecting the same is a yagna and meditating upon them is a yagna. There exists an end for the body but not for the mind until it is liberated. As long as the ignorance exists within, you are deluded by this world. Until the Truth is experienced, it is impossible to transcend the desire. 211

212 Worship God for the sake of God. As you advance in your meditation, your worldly tendencies get diluted or weakened. If you remember Arunachala, he will liberate you. Remembrance is equivalent to taking bath. It purifies your mind. The Path of Self enquiry as taught by Sri Ramana is greater than the worship done with the hands, the japa done with the mouth and the meditation done with the mind. 212

213 An arthaarthi (artha-money, arthi- one who craves ) doesn t infer only those who crave for money but also those who crave for anything in this world. Man needs money but money doesn t bestow Jnana. If money bestows Jnana all the rich people in the world would have become (Self) realized souls by now ; but did any rich man attain Self Realization? This doesn t mean that money has no worth. You can donate if you are rich which in turn brings higher worlds & births. If your donation is sattvic, it will reduce your tendencies and enable your spiritual progress. The money that you spend to attain worldly happiness will in turn fetch you bhoga/pleasure. 213

214 You are fine as long as you enjoy the bhoga but it converts into a tendency and tortures you for several births and thereby hampers your spiritual progress. However the money spent for others would never go in vain- it accompanies you even in future births and thereby fetches higher births. Sri Ramana said: How can you refrain from being charitable if you are aware that whatever you give, comes back to you multiplied manifold? You should donate only to deserving people. Donation to undeserving people will in turn fetch sin. One who donates flawlessly and humbly to noble hearted people, holy people and to them who don t misuse the same, will attain Merit and thereby will get the path towards Jnana. 214

215 You are able to donate only because the donee exists, otherwise whom will you donate? Therefore don t be proud in making donations. Rather have gratitude towards God in giving you this opportunity. Don t be elated on looking at your money. Can that money bring you back at least one day that has passed by? Will the treasure in your house accompany you at least up to graveyard? Then what makes you feel proud? 215

216 In the funeral pyre, even the stick used to push the corpse into fire finally gets burned. Similarly as you progress in your spiritual practices, you will attain Jnana. The fire of Jnana ultimately destroys even the sadhaka (doer of spiritual practices). Whether you like the medicine or not, your fever will subside when you partake the medicine. Similarly whether you like it or not, if you chant the name of God, it will reduce your worldly fever and bring your mind under control. You will thereby experience the Truth. 216

217 In the Gita, Krishna said, I will liberate you if you remember me in your last moments. My dear friends! God s utterance is true but we cannot remember God on our deathbed. We only remember those desires for which we craved throughout our life but not God on our death bed. How can you think of God in your last moments when your thoughts itself are not within your control? He is not free whose thoughts are not within his control. It is possible only for a Jnani to remember God on death bed. If you can get rid of the ignorance within, Self Knowledge exists very much within you. We need not earn Jnana separately; it is enough if we can give up ignorance. 217

218 He is intelligent who rightly utilizes the opportunities on hand. One who is devoid of peace is not happy. One who is devoid of happiness will not attain Jnana. Wicked people deliberately hurt the hearts of virtuous people. Therefore keep away from them and take the shelter of virtuous people. The Holy Company destroys your evil tendencies without any of your efforts. When there is a blow of cool breeze, why do you require a hand fan? 218

219 Among the several thoughts that you get, examine by yourselves whether the worldly tendencies are strong or God related tendencies are strong. God gives you only that you desire. The tendencies within you cannot exit without your knowledge. Renouncing all your desires, strongly possess the desire for liberation. Even that will vanish on attaining Jnana. You make several arrangements for facilitating a sound sleep. But don t you want to make any preparations for attaining Jnana? It is not relevant as to how long (quantity of life) we lived. What is more important is how well (the quality of life) we lived. 219

220 You make much prior arrangements for a four day pilgrimage, but don t you want to make any preparations for the great journey to be made after the body s death? Don t ever think that your journey towards God will halt. It will persist even if there is a change in your body or a change in your circumstances. God proclaimed in the Gita: People doing good never attain distressing state. God is not a liar in stating so. 220

221 The tendencies troubling you in the present birth are but the results of actions fondly done in your previous births. As you craved for them in your previous births, they are chasing you currently. Whatever you see currently is nothing but the result of your past actions. Sadhana or spiritual effort is required only to transcend these tendencies. As you worship God with flowers, if you can adore the world with your words and deeds, you will be certainly enlightened. 221

222 Even devotion is equivalent to Gold. The gold used to decorate your body does not accompany you at least till the burial ground. However the gold called Bhakti accompanies you even after death, gives you higher births and releases you from ignorance. Your body doesn t say I. But you proclaim: This body is mine. If you figure out the one who says mine, you can transcend the vicious circle of births and deaths. 222

223 You always desire for wealth and attractive body but how many of you desire for beautiful thoughts? All of us desire only for the good, but the good is always followed by the bad. As we are accompanied by our shadow, it is inevitable that the joy should be accompanied by sorrow. We do not pray God for the sake of God. We pray Him only to get rid of the sorrow. What else exists in this world other than selfishness, jealousy, self praise and criticism? Accordingly there exists abundant disturbance and sorrow in this world. 223

224 Our bodies and thoughts are dissimilar. The reason being, our thoughts, tastes/likes and practices were different in our previous births. It is only on account of this that there exists such diversity in this world. Character is much greater than caste. Humanity is much greater than religion. Do you purchase the spoilt brinjals while buying the vegetables? Then why do you desire friendship with character less people? The lives of characterless people are crushed/ destroyed in future. They are left only with the dark worlds. 224

225 That which takes birth is defective and that which does not take birth is ever perfect. You were never born- it is your body which took birth. It is your body which grows and finally perishes. But you are the Self which has neither birth nor death. It is ever existent and denotes the Absolute Truth. Though these words of God are absolutely true, we are unable to digest the same due to our faulty intellect. Therefore God asked us to Trust His words. 225

226 This world doesn t belong to us. We came into this world only to destroy our tendencies. On our death bed, the tendencies hidden within our Heart shoot into our brain. The strongest tendency among them conquers the brain in our last breath, which in turn decides the future birth. Only they will be enlightened whose lives are spotless till the end. The external senses are burnt in the burial ground upon death. But it is not so with the internal senses. They accompany you even in your next birth. Therefore always listen, see and think about purity alonethen you will be purified. 226

227 Nobody becomes free until and unless they realize the Self shining within. Till then they are slaves to their ego. God never reveals Himself to the slaves. How long is your life based upon other s words? Won t you utilize your intellect or thinking faculty? Why did God bestow you with intellect if you don t utilize the same? Don t leave discrimination until it is within the reach of your reason. But you cannot reach the goal by your mere reason and intellect. Therefore trust the things that are beyond your reason and intellect by surrendering to God. 227

228 Turning a corpse alive is not great. However molding a person into a Jnani is great. Even if a miracle doesn t turn a corpse alive, won t it get a re-birth? You may Love your God but don t criticize other s God. Isn t the value of rupee the same whether possessed by you or by others? It is not a sin if you criticize others for their welfare; it is a sin if you do so out of hatred. 228

229 Incarnations come into this world to fulfill a purpose (Karana) but we come into this world to fulfill our destiny (karma). A desire less person is anger less. An anger less person is griefless. Only a person devoid of grief finds the true happiness. 229

230 Exchanging a word for a word doesn t prove to be true retaliation. Our scriptures proclaim that Silence is the correct solution for such a situation. Our scriptures are the authority and not our intellect or reason. When scriptures are read by the body minded people, they only perceive that which is within their brain and not the real content of the scriptures. 230

231 Until and unless your mind is surrendered to a word, its true essence cannot be understood. If the words are equivalent to a river, Silence is equivalent to an ocean. The benefit derived from Silence is much greater than the benefit derived from the words or the benefit derived from reading or listening to the scriptures. All of us fear solitude. But we were all alone when we came into this world; also we will be all alone when we depart from this world; Don t forget this Truth! 231

232 He can never remain in solitude whose Heart is filled with delusion. Whether it is in this birth, or in some other birth, a deluded person or an attached person cannot escape disease. One who is affected by desire and death will lose his freedom and will certainly turn out to be a sinner. Only the one who regulates his senses can reform his ego. One who is not niyatendriya (regulator of senses) cannot become jitendriya (controller of senses) and one who is not jitendriya cannot become athindriya (one who is beyond senses). 232

233 Only that renunciation sustains/ remains stable which is derived from wisdom/discrimination and not the one which arises out of despair. Until and unless you understand (grasp), all your Mastery (control) is futile. The I vanishes with the annihilation of Mine and Mine vanishes with the annihilation of I. I implies ego and Mine implies attachment. (i- ahamkara, mine-mamakara) As long as this kara exists tears are inevitable.. 233

234 A bird needs two wings in order to fly in the sky. Similarly earn the two good qualities of Courage and Love in order to have a bright future. God grants the boons that you desire. But they subside as and when you enjoy them. Also the enjoyment from these boons will chase you for several births and torture you in the form of tendencies. You will require the effort of several births to transcend them. 234

235 Everybody desire sleep. Why? It is because you find happiness in sleep. But from where do you get the happiness in sleep? In your deep sleep your mind merges into its source. But what exists in its source? It is Happiness. Though you are happy in your deep sleep, you are not conscious of the same. It is because of the non existence of the mind in deep sleep. There must be someone within you who states that you are happy in your deep sleep. Then who is that someone? That someone exists even in your waking state. As and when you are fully awake from the sleep, the I thought arises. It is this I thought, which gets all the other thoughts. It is these thoughts that disassociate you from the Self. Until and unless you find the source of these thoughts, the tortures of this mind are inevitable. 235

236 You are happy in your deep sleep but you are not conscious of the same. You are aware of your existence in the waking state but you are not happy. Only those who master the happiness of deep sleep in the waking state become a Jnani. The three qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas keep changing within us. Catch hold of the sattva when it comes; after showing you the path towards God, even sattva will disappear. 236

237 Destiny is limited to the body. It doesn t affect your inner state. There is no relationship between the body s destiny and the self efforts that lead to Self Realization. God has given us only one freedom- the freedom to make self effort to reform ourselves. Body s destiny is inevitable even for a Self realized soul but He will not be affected by the same. As the visions in our dream disappear in the waking state, all our tendencies disappear with the awakening of Jnana. All of us fear Bhakti- but Bhakti implies constant remembrance of God. Bhakti with expectation binds you. But bhakti without expectation will show you the path towards liberation and releases you from ignorance. 237

238 It is important that the body is healthy and the mind is beautiful. If anyone looks beautiful don t get deluded that even their life would be beautiful. God is impressed only by the beauty of your Heart and not by the beauty of your body. You spend your time and money for enhancing your body s beauty but do you spend the same to attain God? Penance doesn t imply being without food or remaining without bath. It involves neither closing your nose nor closing your eyes. It doesn t even imply closing of your mouth or renouncing your house. Penance implies bringing your body (by exhausting it), senses (by regulating it) and mind (by restraining it) into your control. 238

239 We have to attain the egoless state, faultless state, thoughtless state and the world less state - this is the message of Sri Ramana. Sri Ramana said: Penance implies leading an egoless life. Only a Jnani can recognize another Jnani. You can t acknowledge that beauty/glory in others which doesn t exist within you. A Truth does not become false when unperceived by your intellect - it only indicates the fault within your intellect. 239

240 When the child cries out: Mother, Mother, the Mother craves for the child. Similarly God s Grace showers upon them who constantly remember Him. You are only left with exertion from all your circumambulations. God is not so innocent to be deceived by circumambulations. God only looks at the purity within your Heart. God is not a simpleton that your thoughts remain hidden from Him. Possess higher ideals at least mentally. Are we losing anything monetarily on possessing such ideals/thoughts? Don t forget that your thoughts accompany you even in future births. 240

241 When you say corpse, does it refer to something that descends from somewhere? No. When the breathing ceases, your body itself turns into corpse. Everyone carries his own corpse as long as he is alive and the same is carried by four people upon his death. This is the only difference. The death incurs only when the soul fastens the hidden tendencies within the Heart and leaves the body. 241

242 Everyone wants to flatter God through a coconut! No one is concerned with the content of their heads. Even an animal will be liberated before man on being purified. Until and unless one is purified, one can t attain Jnana ie. It is not possible to attain liberation or escape the future births. You close your nose on breathing foul smell then why don t you regulate your mind on getting foul thoughts? 242

243 Idols have been constituted only for attaining control (of senses and mind). Adoring the idols doesn t constitute idol worship. But the very thought that God exists separate from us constitutes idol worship. One cannot attain Jnana until and unless the duality is transcended. All of us desire Bhakti/devotion but lack the sufficient strength to attain it. The very purpose of Idol worship is to increase such strength. As long as we possess body mindedness and name mindedness, idol worship is inevitable. 243

244 My dear friends! When we see God in the temple, our eyes are closed and our senses are controlled. Even the wavering/indecisiveness of the mind ceases. Do you know the reason for this? Our eyes get closed even without our knowledge due to following reason: God is introverting our mind saying thus: I am not external to you. I exist within you; within your Heart I constantly shine as the Self. Whatever you see of Me externally is only a vision! My existence within you is only true. Therefore look within. 244

245 Any aspirants treading the path of spirituality are obstructed either by their own people or by their relatives or by their enemies or by gods. Their own family members turn out to be their enemies. Only their spotless devotion for God assists them. All of you don t fear the sleep but certainly fear the death. Why is it so? Your present body is visible when you wake up from the sleep which is not so in the case of death. However after the death you get a new body instead of the present body. That s the only difference. Death implies the one that brings about a change. 245

246 All of us are afraid of the burial ground. But even the burial ground is our Mother! Isn t it true that the burial ground permanently preserves this body, (which originates from a mother) after death? Then why are you afraid of the burial ground? That which burns our tendencies is the true burial ground and it exists within our Heart. He is blind who cannot see the good in spite of possessing eyes. He is deaf who cannot hear the good in spite of possessing ears. He is dumb who cannot speak the good in spite of possessing mouth. 246

247 Water halts where there is evenness and not where the slope exists. Similarly Jnana sustains where there is humility and not where the pride exists. Everybody crave for happiness, but they are not aware of the place of its availability. You always think of either Rama or Krishna but did you ever realize where this happiness can be found? You will not be happy on possessing crores of rupees in your bank account rather you will be happy only when you utilize the same. 247

248 Working without any expectation implies Karma Yoga; Praying God for unison with Him indicates Bhakti Yoga; Concentrating the mind, controlling the senses and increasing the prana shakti signifies Dhyana Yoga. Discriminating between the true and the false indicates Jnana Yoga. 248

249 Except the Self/Brahman, everything else is created by us. We are frightened on looking at our own creation! What else can be called as Maya (delusion)? Everybody keep thinking either of their past or of their future and thereby kill/waste their present. Even the past and future represent the present at some point of time. If you have to cross a bridge in the process of your journey, will you cross the bridge when you come across it or even before the bridge approaches will you firmly sit down in a place without moving further and think about how to cross the bridge? Hence what is there to think about (either about past/future)? 249

250 As you crave for food in extreme hunger, did you ever yearn for God at least for a second? Whether you desire it or not, whatever is destined for your body is bound to happen. The source of strength is God within you and not yourself (or your desire). If the Strength pertains to desire then why is the death approaching you even when you are not willing to die? If your intelligence can t be utilized to discover the Self, then what is the purpose of such intelligence? If your learning is true, why doesn t your ignorance disappear? God gifted us with the faculty of thinking which is not present in the animals. If we don t utilize our reason/intellect then how can we distinguish ourselves from animals? 250

251 Even your dreams are useful. They reveal that which exists within your Heart. The dreams that we get in the night represent our short dreams and the life we are currently leading (in the waking state) represents our long dream. It is the subtle body which experiences the short dreams and it is the gross body which experiences the long dreams. That is the only difference. Being aware of other s weaknesses will not bring you joy. You will be joyful only when you are aware of your own weaknesses and are able to transcend the same. 251

252 Your good deeds don t assure you of liberation. However they nourish within you, the desire for liberation. Therefore good deeds have been prescribed by the scriptures. Good deeds represent the very essence of Self. A doctor sterilizes his instruments before an operation in order to prevent any septicemia; Similarly if you cleanse your mind and senses before utilizing them, you will not incur any sin. 252

253 The thought that exists before your sleep will continue even in your sleep. Therefore inculcate the habit of prayer before you sleep. By this you will be doing more sadhana (spiritual practices) with less effort. He is intelligent in a true sense who is not bound by his own intellect; rather he utilizes his thinking faculty (intelligence) to transcend his intellect and thereby experiences the Truth. 253

254 There is only one Master and whatever exists, belongs to Him. But you consider yourselves to be the owner, which is the cause of your sorrow. There is only one Purusha and He is God. Only a Self realized man is eligible for the word Purusha (Man). He is not a sadhu who wears a saffron dress but he is a sadhu who possesses the wealth of sadhana (strength attained from spiritual practices). Only the person possessing the wealth of sadhana has the discriminating power to differentiate between the Self and the Non Self. 254

255 Until and unless man attains fearless state, he is always chased by his sorrow. But he can t attain the fearless state until he experiences the Self. One can experience the Self only through purity of mind. The purity of mind is attained only on listening about the Truth and contemplating upon the same, which in turn gifts us with the fruit of Jnana. Truth Realization is the highest goal of life. 255

256 There is no other penance greater than leading a good life. Every person born as a human should do good and forget the same. One who wants to love the goodness should be ready to forbear any kind of hardship. A good person does not even realize that he is good. By doing good throughout the life, all the faults, weaknesses and sins hidden in the layers of mind perish away and also the path towards Jnana is found. Socrates said: Goodness itself is Jnana. Most of the Devotees pray God to bestow them with a sorrow less life or a troublefree life. But how many devotees joyfully forbear the sorrows and troubles accepting them as God s gift? 256

257 Forgetting his true nature, any amount of research done by man in a laboratory may earn him physical comforts (pleasures) but not the Joy. True Joy is contained only in the Self. Bhoga (pleasures) may cool down the senses but not the Heart. The national goal is Jnana (enlightenment) and not Bhoga (luxuries/pleasures). The relative knowledge and scientific knowledge may bring external comforts but cannot release the man from ignorance, sorrow and worldly ties. 257

258 Irrespective of any amount of learning, a man cannot become a great man (Mahatma) until and unless he knows (realizes) Himself. Only the yoga contains the power to convert a brute into a gentle man. The science of Yoga is not recognized by the society as long as it is not understood. If a man is not virtuous, he can t gain wisdom/discrimination. A society that is disassociated from virtue inevitably forgoes its happiness. In order to get rid of his pettiness, man has to take the shelter of virtue. Only then can he reach the heights of Jnana. 258

259 'The Power' as bestowed by God upon us to gain His experience is called as 'Grace'. All the effort made to attain God's Grace is called as sadhana. Man's effort to overcome sorrow involves his search for God. God s Grace exists forever. It is only our wicked tendencies that obstruct us in acquiring God s Grace. Man can attain Perfection only if his efforts are faultless and crooked less. Man conducts rituals to reduce the effect of the planet Saturn but makes no effort to get rid of the planet called ignorance. Man is bound to understand that it is ignorance which converts into sorrow and disease. There is no other violence greater than ignorance. 259

260 On renouncing the moral values, any amount of worship (puja) or japa or meditation (dhyana) done by you will not imply devotion rather they constitute demonic devotion. Only the one who possesses divine qualities can be called as a true devotee. As you are able to see with your eyes, able to hear with your ears, you should also be able to think with your intellect. If you are not able to think, why did God gift you with a brain? When the brain is not utilized, are men in anyway different from animals? Thinking faculty is equivalent to nectar. Man devoid of thinking faculty perishes in every way. 260

261 Incarnations and Gurus descend onto this earth only to assist man in surpassing the household of ignorance. Even the religions took birth for the same purpose. Jnana alone is ever lasting. Liberation is indistinguishable from Jnana. Though born with ignorance, we must die with Knowledge or at least in the quest of Knowledge. Though our lives commence with weeping, they should at least end in laughter. Man acquires greatest hardship and incurs greatest loss if he dies without attaining Jnana. People who work for the fulfillment of their desires are equivalent to slaves. A slave is never free- he is ever bound. God does not bestow the slaves with Self Knowledge. If a man cannot experience the Self through his self -effort, he leads the life of slavery and also ends up his life as a slave being rooted in fear. 261

262 Ego is the greatest sin! One, who does not conquer his ego, will certainly get crushed by the cyclone called ignorance. One who decorates his ego can never desire the welfare of society. A deluded person will certainly incur sin. The society can never get rid of ignorance, corruption and poverty as long as delusion exists within the heart of man. Only Jnana has the power to release the society from sorrow and drive it towards equanimity. As a country needs a financial revolution, a political revolution and an industrial revolution, it equally requires a spiritual revolution. 262

263 Man is bound not by his family/household but by his ignorance. As long as a man is ignorant, he incurs sin out of selfishness. This is no other sin greater than selfishness. A selfish person can never contribute towards the welfare of the society. Only the self controlled can refrain from incurring sin. Upon death, we only lose our relationship with the body but not with our ego. Death implies a change - a change from one body to another. On changing the body, the surroundings and situations may change but Jnana is not attained. 263

264 He is a Mahatma who knows the source of his mind. He is an acharya, who himself practices and makes others practice. Jignasa is the one who is desirous of Jnana. Mumuksha is one who is desirous of Moksha/Liberation. He is a Jnani who possesses Jnana. He is a Yogi who possesses Yoga. He is a Bhakta who possesses Bhakti/devotion. He is a sadhu who possesses the wealth of sadhana. 264

265 Man s luck/destiny does not exist within the folds of his palm but exists in his efforts. Don t disassociate yourselves from the ground realities of life in the name of horoscopes. You reap good or bad based on your actions. (ie. you reap good for good and bad for bad). We are not sure as to when we will receive the call from God. We must be prepared for it each and every day because when we receive the call from God we don t have the choice of rejecting it. Only they can escape from the clutches of death who experience the Truth through their effort when their body is very much alive. 265

266 Man s life does not commence with the birth of his body. It starts with the birth of his ego. Similarly man s life does not end with the death of his body. It only ends with the death of his ego. Therefore the ego s birth constitutes the true birth and the ego s death comprises the real death. Until and unless man realizes this Truth, he can never transcend the vicious circle of births and deaths. God gave us intellect/reason only to realize this Truth. 266

267 We must not expect reverence from a crude man. We must not expect civilization from a rude/wild man. Similarly we must not expect Self Knowledge from an ignorant man. All of us commit this single mistakewe try to swallow God with our mind. Will God consider it a serious lapse (in our devotion) when we fail to offer Him a coconut? If he thinks so, how can He become God? When you yourself do not possess a form, how can God possess any form? All this is but the confusion created by your mind. 267

268 As the police force is required to maintain the law and order of a country, the preachings of Jnani are equally important to fill the Heart of mankind with Peace and Bliss. The slayer of ignorance is much greater than the slayer of hunger ie., the bestower of Knowledge is much greater than the donor of food. Knowledge is different from our education. Even an illiterate can become a Jnani. A Jnani always uses his power only for the welfare of society. 268

269 Only the people with sense control attain the control of mind- Only the people with mind control attain the purity of mind - Only the people possessing pure mind can experience Self Realization- Only the people who attained Self Realization can perform actions without any expectation of fruit- Only the people who perform selfless work possess equanimity. Without possessing equanimity none can become a Jnani. Equanimity is the essence of the entire Yoga. 269

270 He is a Brahmachari who possesses unswerving abidance in the Self. Bheeshma was not married. However Sri Krishna was married. But still we cannot say that Bheeshma possessed the celibacy of Krishna. Mere regulation of external senses does not constitute celibacy. Self is not revealed on restraining the external senses. Sense control is only a tool to attain Self Realization. Don t consider marriage to be a constraint in attaining Self Realisation. Don t be under delusion that married people will not attain Jnana and bachelors will attain Jnana. Isn t our much adored Rama, a householder? Isn t our much adored Krishna, a householder? How many of our rishis were not householders? Didn t they all attain Jnana? 270

271 Then why do you restrict the word celibacy to a man-woman relationship? It is only the ego which differentiates (between the two sexes) and not the Self. We are the Self and not the ego. The man-woman relationship is only a nervous satisfaction. Even that is merely a thought. Marriage creates attachment/bondage and increases our delusion. Therefore our elders asked us to think about external celibacy. 271

272 Sadguru Nannagaru on Relationship (Anubandam) 272